Latest Blog Posts

Composed and arranged by Simon Hanes, and performed by him and his 15-piece orchestra, Tredici Bacci, Amore per Tutti is a soundtrack for an Italian movie that was never made. The 11-track album is Hanes’ homage to the film scores of the ‘60s and ‘70s, an era when composers like Ennio Morricone, Nino Rota, Bruno Nicolai, Luis Bacalov, Armando Trovajoli and many other lesser-known figures created vivid soundscapes for genre films—gialli (gory thriller and horror flicks), polizieschi (police procedurals), and the western all’italiana (better known as spaghetti westerns). Their work often was eclectic, mixing and matching, sometimes in a single soundtrack, jazz, free jazz, bossa nova, rock, electronic music, and mariachi.

Texas singer-songwriter James McMurty has written a song called “Remembrance” just in time for election day tomorrow. It’s a Dylanesque folk number looking back at previous elections. This tune isn’t currently planned for an album release, but McMurtry was moved to write an election-themed song, one that encompasses elections of the past around the world, including Spain’s first democratic government, the Reagan election in 1980, as well as Thatcher in the UK. McMurty asserts in the song that “those placing faith in intelligence / Must surely be out of their minds / Out of their minds,” which echoes contemporary analyses of the 2016 contest and Bill Maher’s frequent comments that the U.S. public isn’t well-educated enough to make smart decisions about candidates.

If you watch TV, you’ve probably seen the ad: a series of quick shots of white folks of various types (chic young women; a straight couple in tennis duds with their dogs; a guy in a retro brown suit and bowtie) smiling and styling while a catchy, old school pop tune plays. The ad is for the Venetian Hotel’s new “Come as You Are” campaign; the tune is “Tintorella di Luna”, by the Italian singer, Mina.

by PopMatters Staff

Andrew Paschal: I have to confess that I never made it as far as “Animals” when attempting to navigate the glitchy noise of last year’s Garden of Delete, intrigued though I was by its thematic exploration of adolescence and identity. I’m grateful to have the second chance to get to know this amazing track, however. “Animals” is downright pretty, and also tragic, with harpsichord-like keys elliptically framing the pitch-altered, futuristic eulogy of what I suppose should still be called vocals. This is one of the most emotionally direct and gratifying tracks I’ve heard from Oneohtrix Point Never, and I’m now considering giving this album a second chance now that I know it does indeed pay off to stick with its challenges. [9/10]

by PopMatters Staff

Adriane Pontecorvo: Kid Cudi deals an intoxicating dose of psychedelic midnight sensuality and rolling beats on “Frequency”, a track that is all neon and silhouettes, just like its video. He murmurs and belts lyrics with equal rapture in the blissful throes of a sex-drugs-and-rock-and-roll kind of hedonism, going to places dark, exciting, and promising. It’s the kind of song that will catch you and pull you in further once you let it, a few minutes of total surrender. [8/10]